Cup trimming apparatus



Filed Aug. 18, 1955 Dec. 2, 1958 c. MIBREHM 2,862,553

CUP TRI-MMING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

' CHARLES M. BREHM BY ATTORNEYS Dec. 2, 1958 c. M. BREHM cuP TRIMMING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheei'2 Filed Aug. 18, l955 INVENTOR. CHARLES M. BREHM ATTORNEYS Dem 2,1958 C.M.BREHM I 6 5 3 I CUP TRIMMiNG APPARATUS I Filed Aug. 18, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 cLu TcH WII- Cl) STOP 123 INVENTOR. CHARLES M. BREHM MMW1'W FIG-8 ATTORNEYS United States Patent CUP TRIMMING APPARATUS Charles M. Brehm, Springfield, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Vulcan Tool Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 18, 1955, Serial No. 529,112

6 Claims. (Cl. 164-47) This invention relates to apparatus for trimming shells and the like.

The invention has special relation to trimming apparatus of the type wherein a die member receives therein the part to be trimmed with theportion to be cut off projecting out of the die, and a complementary punch member is inserted within this projecting portion of the part and is caused to move transversely with respect to the die and thus to shear off the desired scrap from the shell.

Apparatus of this general character is shown, for examplein Brehm Patent No. 2,347,808, issued May 2, 1944, as including punch and die members incorporated in a punch press to trim the end of a blank or cup of otherwise shell shape, More particularly, that patent shows a complementary'set of punch and die members mounted for movement with the plunger or other operating part of the press, and cooperating cam members are provided which cause relatively transverse movements of one of the punch or die members with respect to the other in a definite patter and sequence such that adesired trimming of the periphery of the blank is obtained.

Trimming assemblies characterized as noted above have proved highly successful when incorporated in a conventional punch press as shown in the above Brehm patent. However, such presses are often considerably heavier and more powerful than would be required simply for the trimming operations, and when the press is used for trimming, it is necessarily out of operation for other production work. This in turn may mean increased expense in both the machine and the operating costs beyond that required for optimum trimming operations under the proper circumstances.

It is therefore a. primary object-of the present inven-' tion to provide trimming apparatus of the above general character in the form of a complete press unit of simple and compact construction wherein all the parts for efiecting a trimming operation are incorporated in the base of the press together with a mechanical drive for causing positively controlled operating movements of the trimming members. I

Another object of the'inv'ention is to provide trimming apparatus as outlined above wherein closing and opening of the respective trimming members is effected by an auxiliary drive and does not require'any of the power or working stroke of the main drive, thus contributing to the compactness and efiiciency of the unit as a whole.

An additional object of the invention is to provide trimming apparatus as outlined above wherein improved efliciency of operation is achieved by a construction suchthat the main operating parts 'for the trimming members may be enclosed in a bath of lubricant fora longer efiective working life requiring minimum maintenance.

It is also an object of the invention to v provide trim ming apparatus of the above general character which may be quickly and easily changed to accommodate shells of difierent sizes and shapes while maintaining the other structural and operational advantages of the apparatus.

Patented Dec. .2, 1958 Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a complete trimming apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bed of the apparatus of Fig. 1 looking as indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 3 and with the trimming mechanism removed;

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on the lines 33 and 4-4 respectively of Fig.2 with the trimming mechanism in place;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the location of and operating mechanism for certain of the limit switches which control operation of the apparatus of Figs. 16 and Fig. 8 is a wiring diagram.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the complete trimming apparatus shown in Fig. 1, the majority of the operating parts and the main drive are incorporated in the bed or base structure which is enclosedby the casing identified generally at 10. Four upright rods 11 project upwardly from the base, and a top frame 12 is mounted on the upper ends of these rods. A slide 13 is supported for vertical reciprocating movement on rods 11, and its move-- The slide 13 carries an upper die plate 20 (Fig. 5)

. which in turn has the upper trimming member or'punch 22 secured thereon as by bolts 21. The punch 22 carries a gauge member 23 which is adapted to be received in the shell 25 to be trimmed, and gauge 23 is of predetermined axial dimensions establishing the depth of the shell at which the trimming operation occurs. The gauge member 23 is supported from the punch 22 in such manner that it may move parallel with the face of the punch during the operating movements of the apparatus, the connection between the punch and gauge being shown as provided by a rod 26 in cooperation with a collar 27 and spring 28.

Referring now to Figs. 3-5, the base frame of the'apparatus comprises upper and lower main castings 30 and 31 secured together as by bolts 32. The upper casting 30 is both annular and generally square in horizontal outline, and it includes an inner shelf-like portion 33 which forms a bearing and supporting surface for the-cam block 35, the latter also being both annular and generally square in horizontaloutline. Cams 36a-36d arebolted to the outer sides of cam block 35, and the cam block is held slidably in place on the shelf 33 by cover plates 37 and 38 bolted on the outer top surface of casting 30.

p The cam block 35 has translational movement in a horizontal plane which is effected and controlled by a plurality of cams 40a-40d, there being a pair of identical earns 40 on each side of the cam block cooperating with a complementary pair of identical cams 36. The several cams 40 are mounted on individual rods 41 in cooperation with bearing plates 42 bolted on the inner face of the casting 30. The rods 41 are attached at their lower ends to' a carrier 44 of generally hexagonal horizontal outline which is mounted for vertical reciprocating movement in the base on a plurality of guide rods 45 connected between the castings 30 and 31.

There is a mechanical drive for reciprocating carrier 44 which includes a drive motor 50 mounted on an extension of base casting 31, and a small pinion 51 on the motor shaft drives a large combination gear and flywheel 52. A clutch 53, which may be operated either electrical ly or through air pressure by means of a solenoid 55 (Fig. 8) selectively connects the gear-flywheel 52 with a shaft 56 carrying a small pinion 57 which in turn drives a large gear 58 on a crank shaft 60 journaled at 61 in the castings 30 and 31. The crank 60 includes an eccentrio portion 65 cooperating with an eccentric'foll'ower 66 which is mounted within the carrier 44 between an upper bearing plate 67 and a bottom plate 68 bolted across the lower end of carrier 44. Thus during one-half a revolution of crank shaft 60 from the position shown in Fig. 4, the follower 66 will pull the carrier 44 downwardly, and during the remaining half revolution of the crank shaft the follower 66 will push the carrier 44 towards its upper limit position.

The cam block 35 carries the other trimming member for cooperation with the punch 22 together with the mechanism for ejecting each successive trimmed shell 25 from the apparatus. Referring to Fig. 5, the lower die plate 70 is rigidly and accurately secured on top of cam block 35 as by dowels 71 and bolts 72. The die plate 70 has a central opening 73 in which is bolted an annular die 75 which is the other trimming member. The die plate 70 also carries pads 76 which cooperate with pads 77 on the under side of the upper die plate 20 to limit downward movement of the slide 13 to a position properly aligning the adjacent faces of the punch 22 and die 75 in shearing relation.

The ejecting mechanism is carried by a plate 80 secured as shown to the under side of cam block 35. A floating plate 81 is mounted yieldably within the cam block on the plate 80 by means of spring units 82. A blank holding part 83 is bolted on floating plate 81 and cooperates with the gauge member 23 and the spring units 82 to hold each shell 25 in proper position for trimming. Upward movement of plate 81 is limited by stop units 85, each of which includes a stud 86 (Fig. 6) press fitted in plate 80 and provided with an adjustable nut 87 fitting loosely in a flanged cup member 88 depending from plate 81. One or more pins 89 connect cup 88 with nut 87 for convenience in adjusting the threaded position of the nut on stud 86.

Ejection of each trimmed shell 25 is effected by an air cylinder 90 which is carried by the plate 80 and includes an inner cylinder 91 supporting a piston 92 having a head portion 93 adapted to rise through the central opening 94 in the part 83 to eject the trimmed shell. Operation of cylinder 90 is controlled by a valve 95 (Fig. 8) through a solenoid 96 in timed relation with the other operating movements of the apparatus, as explained in detail hereafter in connection with the wiring diagram.

Each operating cycle of this apparatus is initiated by a pair of run switches 99 and 100 (Fig. 8) arranged in series to require operation by both hands of the operator, a convenient location for these switches beingalso indicated in Fig. l. Thereafter the several stages of each cycle are controlled in sequence by four limit switches 101-104. Referring to Fig. 7, the limit switches 101, 102 and 103 are mounted :on the outside of the base casting 30 by means of the rod 105 and brackets 106, and they are operated sequentially by a cam portion 110 of a rod 111 depending from a bracket 112 on slide 13 for reciprocation therewith through guides 113 of casting 30. The limit switch 104 is mounted directly on casting 30 for operation by a cam 115 on the end of crank shaft 60. The limit switches 101, 102 and 103 are adjustable on rod 105 to provide for convenient variation of the relative operating movements of the apparatus, and access to all these switches is indicated in Fig. l as available through a door 116 in casing 10.

The operating cycle of this apparatus is illustrated by Fig. 7 and the wiring diagram in Fig. 8. When the starting switch 120 is closed, an energizing circuit for relay R1 is completed through the back contacts of run switches 99 and and the back contacts of limit switch 104. As soon as relay R1 is thus energized, it completes its own hold-in circuit through its upper pair of contacts and the back contacts of limit switch 104.

The cycle of the apparatus is then star-ted by simultaneous closing of run switches 99 and 100. This completes the energizing circuit for relay R2, which in turn closes to complete the energizing circuit for the solenoid 17 in valve 16, the latter circuit running through the upper pair of contacts of relay R2, the lower pair of contacts of relay R1, and the normally closed manual switch 121. Energizing of solenoid 17 shifts valve 16 to the position admitting pressure fluid to the top of cylinder 15 to lower slide 13.

As the slide descends, carrying with it the switch operating rod 111, the cam portion of rod 111 first closes limit switch 103, which at the moment has no direct effect, then closes limit switch 101, which similarly has no immediate effect, and finally closes limit switch 102. Closing of switch 102 completes the energinz circuit for relay R3. This in turn completes an energizing circuit for clutch solenoid 55 through the upper pairs of contacts of both of relays R2 and R3 and the back contacts of relay R4. Closing of relay R3 also completes a hold-in circuit for relay R2 through a. manual switch 122 and thus permits release of run switches 99 and 100 at this point for the remainder of the cycle. If switch 122 is open, however, then switches 99 and 100 must be held closed throughout the complete cycle.

The crank 60 now begins to rotate, carrying downward- 1y with it the cam carrier 44. The carrier 44 similarly pulls down the several cams 40 to cause the cam-block 35 to execute a series of working movements of the die 75 and shell 25 with respect to the punch 22, these movements being essentially as disclosed in the above noted Brehm Patent 2,347,808. As viewed in Fig. 2, these movements will be first toward the top of the sheet, second toward the bottom of the sheet, third back to center, fourth to the right, fifth to the left, and finally again back to center.

The cam is adjusted to operate limit switch 104 as soon as the downward stroke of the cam carrier 44 is'completed, and this has several immediate effects. One is to deenergize clutch solenoid 55 and thus to stop rotation of crank 60 at substantially its lower dead center. Another effect is to deenergize relay R1 and thus to open the energizing circuit to' the valve solenoid 17. At the same time, energizing circuits are established through switch 104 and the previously closed limit switch 103 for the'valve solenoids 18 and 96, thus simultaneously supplying air to the bottom of cylinder 15 to raise slide 13 and supplying air to ejecting cylinder 90.

When slide 13 begins to rise, the cam 110 on rod 111 first opens limit switch 102, thus deenergizing relay R3. As the slide continues to rise, switch 101 is operated next, which'completes a diiferent energizing circuit for clutch solenoid 55, running through the lower pair of contacts of relay R2 and the upper pairs of contacts of relay R4 and switch 101. The crank therefore starts again and goes through the second half of its revolution to return the earns 40 to their upper limit positions while the slide is continuing its upward stroke, and during this portion of the rotation of the crank, the limit switch 104 remains in its lower position as shown in Fig. 8.

The next stage of the cycle occurs when rod 111 operates limit switch 103, which deenergizes the solenoid 96 for the ejector cylinder valve 95 and also the solenoid 18 which is causing upward movement of the slide by valve 16, thus terminating the upward stroke of the slide.

The final stage of the cycle takes place when cam 115 on crank 60 completes its revolution and again returns limit switch 104 to its upper position as shown in Fig. 8. Thisdeenergizes relay R4 and thereby deenergizes clutch solenoid 55 to stop the crank. At thesame time it reestablishes the circuit through the back contacts of run switches 99 and 100 for energizing relay R1 in preparation for the start of the next cycle. 7 As noted, the switch 122 is provided for the sake of convenience in order to enable the operator to release the run switches 99 and l after the slide has reached its downward limit position, and if it is dispensed with, the only difference is to require manual actuation of switches 99 and 100 throughout the cycle. The switch 121 is provided for manual operation whenever it is desired to reverse the movement of slide 13 during its downward stroke or during the trimming cycle. It has the effect of deenergizing the valve solenoid 17 and energizing the valve solenoids 18 and 96 as shown by the wiring diagram. The switch 123 is a stop switch which is manually operable at'a'ny time during the cycle to stop the apparatus temporarily, and when it is released, the cycle will continue if or as soon as the switches 99 and 100 are depressed. I

I It should also be noted that the invention provides for a substantial range of adjustment. For example, the physical positions of the switches 101-103 may readily ditions, and in particular the stroke of the slide 13 may be changed for different shells by simply raising or lowering the limit switch 102. In addition, the same apparatus may be used for trimming a wide variety of shapes and sizes of shell, with the horizontal dimensional limits of such shells being established by the inner dimensions of the cam block 35. This is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 4 by the lower die plate 70' carrying a die 75' of the maximum inner diameter.

Another significant advantage of the invention derives from the fact that while the trimming members themselves and the operating movements of the slide can be adjusted to accommodate shells of different sizes and shapes, the same cams and cam block will handle all such sizes and shapes of shell provided only that the wall thickness of the shell is not too great for the shearing stroke of the cutters. Therefore, the cams and cam block do not need to be changed when setting up the apparatus for a different trimming operation, and also the construction of the invention facilitates a long effective working life for the cams, since they can be maintained in an effective bath of lubricant provided in the annular reservoir between the outer portion of the casting 30 and its shell portion 33. Thus minimum maintenance requirements are added to the other practical advantages of the invention.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the'invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for trimming shells, comprising a main frame, a pair of complementary inner and outer cutter members adapted for relative shearing movement to trim a shell, means mounting one of said cutter members on said frame for vertical reciprocating movement, a cam block mounted on said frame for movement in a plurality of directions in a substantially horizontal plane, a plurality of cams mounted for vertical movement in said frame to effect said horizontal movements of said cam block, means mounting said other cutter member on said cam block for shearing movement therewith with respect to said one cutter member, fluid pressure means for reciprocating said one cutter member to provide for insertion of successive shells between said cutter members,

' be varied along the rod 105 to change the operating conand mechanical'drive means in said frame for effecting said vertical movement of said cams in timed relation with said reciprocating movements of said one cutter member.

2. Apparatus for trimming shells, comprising a main frame, a pair of complementary inner and'outer cutter members adapted for relative shearing movement to trim a shell, means mounting one of said cuttermembers on. said frame for vertical reciprocating movementya cam block mounted on said frame below said 'onecutter member for movement in a plurality of directions .in a substantially horizontal plane, a plurality of cams mounted for vertical movement in said frame to effect said horizontal movements of said cam block, means mounting said other cutter member on said cam block for shearing movement therewith with respect to said one cutter member, means for reciprocating said one cutter member to provide for insertion of successive shells between said cutter members, mechanical. drive means in said frame for effecting said vertical movement. .of said cams .in one direction following downward movement of said one cutter member with a shell enclosed between said cutter members to trim said shell, means for temporarily suspending operation of said drive means following said movement of said cams in one direction, means forcausing said reciprocating means to move said one cutter member upwardly and for causingaejection' of said trimmed shell from said other cutter member during said suspension of operation of said drive means, and means effective in response to said upward movement of said one cutter member for actuating said drive means to move said cams in the other direction.

3. Apparatus for trimming shells, comprising a main base, a pair of complementary inner and outer cutter members adapted for relative shearing movement to trim a shell, means mounting one of said cutter members above said base for vertical reciprocating movement, a cam block mounted on said base for movement in a plurality of directions in a substantially horizontal plane, a plurality of cams mounted for vertical movement in said base to effect said horizontal movements of said cam block, means mounting said other cutter member on said cam block for shearing movement therewith with respect to said one cutter member, fluid pressure means for reciprocating said one cutter member to provide for insertion of successive shells between said cutter members, and mechanical drive means including a crank journaled in said base on a horizontal axis for effecting said vertical movement of said cams in timed relation with said reciprocating movement of said one cutter member. I

4. Apparatus for trimming shells, comprising a main base, a pair of complementary inner and outer cutter members adapted for relative shearing movement to trim a shell, means mounting one of said cutter members above said base for vertical reciprocating movement, a

cam block mounted on said base for movement in a plurality of directions in a substantially horizontal plane, a plurality of cams mounted for vertical movement in said base to effect said horizontal movements of said cam block, means mounting said other cutter member on said cam block for shearing movement therewith with respect to said one cutter member, fluid pressure means for reciprocating said one cutter member to provide for insertion of successive shells between said cutter members, mechanical drive means including a crank journaled in said base on a horizontal axis for effecting said vertical movement of said cams, means for actuating said fluid pressure means to move said one cutter member downwardly to enclose a shell between said cutter members, means responsive to completion of said downward movement of said one cutter member for actuating said drive means to rotate said crank through substantially causing said cams to effect said shearing movement of said cam block to trim said shell, means for stopping said crank following said shearing movement of said cam block, means responsive to operation of said stopping means for actuating said fluid pressure means to raise said one-cutter member, means for causing ejection of the trimmed shell from said other cutter member during said upward movement of said one cutter member, and means actuated in response to said upward movement of said one cutter member for actuating said drive means to rotate said cam through the balance of a complete revolution and thereby to return said cams to their starting position.

5. Apparatus for trimming shells which are open at one end and closed at the other end comprising a main frame, a pair of cutter members arranged respectively on said frame for axial reciprocating movement and for transverse movement, said transversely'movable cutter member having a through opening therein to receive the shell to be trimmed, said shell being installed in said opening with its open end facing said axially movable cutter, a shell holder supporting theclosed end of said shell, means to advance said axially movable cutter member into telescoping engagement With the open end of a shell and to retract it therefrom, means to efliect transverse movement of said transversely movable cutter, and means reciprocable through said shell holder engageable with the closed end of the shell to eject a trimmed shell.

8 6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that said last named means comprises fluid pressure operated means carried by said transversely movable cutter mem her and extensible and retractable in an axial direction relatively thereto. 4 I

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,235,197 Gabriel July 31, 1917 1,265,901 Gabriel May 14, 1918 1,304,151 Brehm May 20, 1919 1,396,230 Peterson Nov. 8, 1921 1,717,612 McNeil June 18, 1929 2,212,874 Brehm Aug. 27, 1940 2,347,808 Brehm May 2, 1944 2,407,855 Stephens Sept. 17, 1946 2,521,975 Hartup Sept. 12, 1950 2,526,163 Shippy Oct. 17, 1950 2,529,382 Friden Nov. 7, 1950 2,629,439 Hartup Feb. 24, 1953 2,669,302 Brehm. Feb. 16, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 600,153 Great Britain Apr. 1, 948 

